The Week’s Best Vinyl Releases

This year, we’ve brought in several new weekly features to FACT’s schedule.

Joining My Favourite Record and Forgotten Classicsis The Week’s Best Vinyl Releases, a Saturday column by our friends at Soho record shop Phonica. It sounds obvious, but few people are onto great records as quickly as a great record store, and after years spent discovering gems in Phonica’s end of year lists, it made sense to give them a regular space on FACT. Every Saturday morning, they’ll run down the five vinyl records doing most damage in Phonica that week.

ACTRESSGhettoville LP(Werk Discs)

Supposedly the last ever release from the incomparable Actress, and suitably dark and moody. Comes on three slabs with beautiful artwork. The release notes ominously state “R.I.P Music 2014”, which is as strong a recommendation as any.

Another sampler of great grooves from Poland’s rich musical past. This batch of leftfield edits is curated by another Pole, Chlopak z Sasiedztwa (which to our delight translates as Boyz N The Hood), and two Norwegians – Rune Lindbaek and Sex Tags UFO’s Telephones. Road-tested floor-fillers to take you through the night.

On Portland label Omega Supreme – always a good thing – this split 7″ is a little bit house, a little bit funk, and a lot of sexy ’80s synth. The Moon B track, in particular, is a sun-kissed glider that should thaw the January chill.

The Head Technician continues his Black Mill Tapes series with volumes three (originally released on Bandcamp) and four (previously unreleased). Faded Boards of Canada-esque electronics and a dash of gloomy house.

Move D teams up with Juju and Jordash for four tracks of live improvised electronics; just the ticket for hardware enthusiasts out there. Bendy, psychedelic and ever so slightly off-colour, with rather spectacular artwork.